U.S. military unveils mobile devices strategy

June 15, 2012|Reuters

* Pentagon wants to align pilots already under way

* U.S. military a heavy user of RIM's BlackBerry

* Policy sets stage for a variety of devices

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Fridayreleased a new strategy aimed at tapping the full potential ofsmartphones and other mobile devices while maintaining adequatesecurity and reliability.

Details must still be worked out, but the policy lays thegroundwork for big battles between Research in Motion,which makes the Pentagon's most commonly used BlackBerry device,and competitors like Apple and Google.

The strategy aims to better coordinate an array of pilotprograms and other initiatives already under way across theDepartment of Defense and the various military services.

Dennis Moran, a retired Army general and vice president forcommunications equipment maker Harris Corp, welcomed thenew strategy and said it would help clarify the U.S. military'sapproach to mobile devices.

"People have been calling for this for years," said Moran,who once ran the White House Communications Agency. "It'sacknowledging that the world is moving toward mobility and thedepartment's got to move in that same direction," he said.

The U.S. military already uses more than 250,000 BlackBerrydevices built by Research In Motion, and has begunpiloting the use of several thousand devices made by Apple or powered by Google's Android software.

Takai said the new strategy would take advantage of existingtechnology, the ability to use or build custom applications, anda workforce increasingly comfortable with using smart phones andother devices.

"This strategy is not simply about embracing the newesttechnology - it is about keeping the DoD workforce relevant inan era when information and cyberspace play a critical role inmission success," she said.

Most commercial devices do not have the level of security,access protocols and other security features required by theU.S. military.

RIM's BlackBerry has long been the default device wheresecurity is key, but its dominance has been eroded in recentyears as popular consumer devices such as Apple's iPhone havetheir security credentials bolstered by third-party software.The Pentagon remains RIM's single biggest customer.

Fixmo Inc, one third party software provider, said thePentagon had recently announced support for its first Androiddevice - a Dell Streak running a hardened version ofAndroid with Fixmo and Good Technology Inc providing securityand ensuring compliance.

At the same time, RIM has moved to counter the threat to itsmarket dominance, unveiling its Mobile Fusion product earlierthis year that can manage rival devices as well as BlackBerryproducts. The Canadian company is planning to extendBlackBerry-like security to those devices later this year.